Living with the Marauders
by PeaceofStar
Summary: You've got to have lots of patience to put up with seven years at Hogwarts with the Marauders.
1. The Hogwarts Express

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Many thanks to JKR for creating such an amazing world.**

OO

The owl came while they were eating breakfast. It soared through the open window and dropped a parchment envelope next to the juice jug. Ruffling its feathers importantly, it took off again, wheeled about, and soared gracefully back through the kitchen window.

"What the…?" asked the girl seated at the table, looking from the window to the envelope and back, not noticing the milk splattering the table from her stationary spoon.

Her father, also sitting at the table and reading a newspaper, picked it up and looked at it carefully. "For you, Phae," he said, as casually as if receiving letters by owl was quite a normal occurrence.

Putting down her spoon, Phae brushed back her dark red hair and took it. She narrowed her mismatched blue and green eyes at the official-looking, blood-red seal before opening it.

_Dear Ms. Sands,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and supplies._

_The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, Platform 9-3/4 at 11:00 a.m. on September 1._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Phae's eyes widened and she had to read it over several times. At her father's concerned look, she read it aloud. When she finished, he was inexplicably beaming. "Congratulations," he told her proudly. "We always knew you had it in you."

"Had what?" she asked, very concerned.

He chuckled and replied simply, "Magic."

While she read the letter again, her father had taken out the list and was examining it closely. "Well," he said, "looks like we need to take a trip to Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley?" asked his daughter, puzzled.

"Yep," he replied, "Not a better place to get all this. Well, we could order it by Owl Order, but it's time you learned."

OO

Two train rides and a boat trip later, they had arrived. Diagon Alley, it turned out, was a skinny little street packed with the most amazing of wizarding shops. The only way in was to go into the alley behind a dingy little London pub called the Leaky Cauldron and tap the third brick from the right above the bin.

Her father laughed and tapped her chin, which had fallen slightly open as Phae gazed along the crowded street. "Well," he asked with a wink, "where would you like to start?"

They started at the far end of Diagon Alley where they bought her pewter cauldron, a set of shiny brass scales, and a collapsible telescope. The Apothecary, despite being filled with any number of slimy yet intriguing items, smelled so badly that Phae was glad she hadn't eaten lunch before they came.

Phae wandered into Madame Malkin's: Robes for all Occasions with a relieved sigh – clothing was something she understood. A smiling witch clad in bottle green bounced towards her. "Hogwarts?" she asked.

She nodded. Her father walked in a moment later, and struck up a conversation with a pair of Muggles – non-magic people – who were waiting in a corner and examining an expensive set of gold-embroidered dress robes.

"Good, good," the witch muttered distractedly, "We've got another student being fitted right now." With that, the witch grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a curtain in the back.

A nervous-looking, green-eyed girl was already standing on a stool, half-draped in black fabric.

"Hogwarts too?" asked Phae as the witch pushed her onto a similar stool in front of an ornate mirror.

The girl nodded shyly.

"Me as well. I'm Phae Sands."

"Lily Evans….Do you know anything about Hogwarts?"

Phae shrugged. "Just that my dad thinks I'm really lucky to have gotten in."

"Your parents are magic?"

"No." – She shook her head. – "My dad's a wizard, but my mom was a Muggle."

Lily seemed to relax a bit. "Oh. My parents are both – what did you call them? – Muggles."

"Don't worry," she told Lily with a smile, "all that talk about blood being so important is a load of rubbish. My dad told me there're only a handful of purebloods left."

"Still," – the pensive look returned to Lily's face, - "I'll probably be really behind. Everyone will know so much more than I will."

Phae scoffed. "No you won't. I didn't know anything about this until I got my letter. I've practically been raised by Muggles as well."

Their conversation was halted by Madam Malkin, who had been running about pinning and measuring and cutting, telling Lily she was finished and leading her back to the front.

"See you on the train then," said Lily with a shy smile.

Phae was finished a few minutes later, and she joined her father in the sunshine.

Flourish and Blotts was next. Phae, who would read any book she could get her hands on, was nearly overwhelmed by the number of books crammed inside the tiny store. There were books as thick and broad as paving stones, books the size of a postage stamp, books engraved with weird runes and languages she couldn't read, and some books with no visible writing at all.

"Now for your wand," said her father, checking the list, which was perched precariously on a large stack of books.

He led her into a shabby little store with a sign that read: Ollivanders – Makers of Fine Wands since 382 b.c. A single wand lay on a dusty pillow in the window.

"Good afternoon," said a very dreamy voice as Phae edged her way in. The whole tiny space had a very musty smell to it, like an old library.

"Hello," replied Phae in a very soft voice, the wandmaker's pale eyes were a bit disconcerting.

Mr. Ollivander nodded to her father. "Welcome back, Patrick. Thirteen inches, ebony, and dragon heartstring. Yes?"

Her father smiled. "I'm surprised you remembered me."

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, and the person I sold it to," replied Mr. Ollivander with a crooked wink.

"This is my daughter – Phae," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Finally, Mr. Ollivander seemed to notice her again. "Well, young lady, let's find you your wand." He whipped out a long, silvery measuring tape, which began taking her measurements all on its own while Mr. Ollivander fetched a ladder and pulled a box off the top shelf. "Seven inches, maple and unicorn hair."

He handed her the wand, but before Phae could swish it, yanked it away again. "Nope." Scurrying to another part of the store, he pulled out another box. "Eleven and a half inches, mahogany and dragon heartstring."

The pile of tried wands grew larger and larger. Finally, he pulled out a very dusty box from the far back of the store. "Ten inches, rosewood and phoenix feather."

As soon as she wrapped her fingers around the polished handle, a tingling warmth flowed through her and several blue and bronze sparks shot from its tip.

"Bravo!" said Mr. Ollivander, clapping his hands together.

They paid for her wand and stepped outside. By this time Phae was getting hungry. "One more stop," said her father, "then we'll go to the Leaky Cauldron for supper."

He led her into a store across the way called Magical Menagerie. Inside was dark and cramped and noisy. Every inch of space was crammed with cages and tanks whose inhabitants were squeaking, squawking, and hooting. There was a large turtle with a jewel-encrusted shell, a basket full of humming balls of fur, and a cage of sleek black rats.

When they emerged ten minutes later, Phae was carrying a large cage containing a golden-brown male Great Horned Owl.

"You deserve a reward," explained her father when she asked why he was buying her an owl. "Besides, how else do you expect to keep in contact with your dear old dad," he added with a wink.

OO

The last month of summer passed very quickly. Between packing, perusing her new books, and explaining to her friends that she was going over to England for school, Phae had very little time for anything else. Her moods ranged from giddy excitement at the prospect of being a witch to depression at leaving her father when she was the only person he had since her mother died.

"I'll be fine," he assured her on her last night home. "There's plenty here to keep my busy. You go and make us proud, and don't let me catch you worrying about me."

OO

A scarlet steam engine sat at the platform belching thick clouds of white smoke when Phae passed through the barrier leading onto Platform 9-3/4. The steam was so thick that it threatened to engulf the crowds of people already there. It was the noisiest, most chaotic place she'd ever been. Owls hooted, cats hissed, people shouted – it was almost too much for the girl.

"Come on," said her father, appearing through the barrier pushing a trolley. "Let's find you a seat."

Phae followed closely as he wended their way through the crowd to the very end of the train. She looked around as her father magicked her trunk and owl into place. There were several large groups of older students watching the newcomers with bemused expressions. The other first years were easy to spot: a black-haired boy was blatantly ignoring his formidable mother; a pretty girl was holding court with several older boys; a pale, sandy-blonde boy was patiently enduring a very teary hug from his mother; a vast majority of the new students looked small and scared.

Her things safely stowed, her father turned. "Do us proud, Phae," he told her, placing a hand on the top of her head and mussed her hair.

They laughed as she struggled to smooth her hair flat again.

A whistle blew – the signal that the train was ready to depart. The crowd, which had already gotten thin, was beginning to disperse, and conductors were yelling for students to get onboard.

She kissed her father on the cheek. "Bye. I'll miss you." With a final hug, she ran onboard just as the guards began slamming the doors shut.

OO

She had just settled into an empty compartment and was about to open a thick book – Hogwarts: A History – when the door slid open to reveal two girls.

"Hi," said Lily, the girl she had met in Diagon Alley. "Do you mind?"

Phae shrugged and slid closer to the window.

"This is Becca Cohl," said Lily as they sat down, "Becca, this is Phae."

Becca caught sight of the book Phae was reading and stared. "You're actually _reading_ that thing?" she asked.

"Skimming more like," said Phae. "I wanted to learn more about the school before I got there."

"Your parents didn't come here then?" asked Becca.

Phae shook her head. "My mom was a Muggle. My dad went to Ravenswood."

Becca nodded. Ravenswood Academy was the premier school of witchcraft in Ireland, but it was nothing compared to Hogwarts. "My parents were both Gryffindors, so I was a cert. Do you know what houses you'll be in?"

"I'm hoping for Gryffindor, though I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw," said Phae.

Lily shook her head. "I'll probably be a Hufflepuff."

Becca laughed. "Nothing wrong with that; better Hufflepuff than Slytherin."

The girls continued to talk about their families, the school, and their experiences with the wizarding world until a plump witch pushing a tea cart arrived at about half-two. Pooling their money, they purchased a stack of cauldron cakes and a package of licorice wands.

"Have either of you ever played Exploding Snap?" asked Becca as they ate, producing a deck of what looked to be playing cards.

They shook their heads, looking puzzled.

Quickly she explained. It was a simple enough game, except that the cards were libel to explode at any point, signaling the end of the game. They continued to eat and play as the train sped them always northward through rolling hills and over sprawling valleys.

They had just changed into their black school robes when the door to their compartment slid open and two boys entered. "Excuse us," said one, the dark-haired boy Phae had seen ignoring his mother on the platform.

"Sorry," muttered the other dark-haired boy, nearly sitting on Lily's lap as he tried to peer out into the corridor.

The first boy suddenly dumped a very wet toad into Phae's lap. She squirmed uncomfortably. "Hold that for a minute, if you'd be so kind," he said belatedly.

Suddenly the other boy ran out of their compartment and sprinted down the corridor. With a muttered curse, a gangly boy with greasy hair who had been wandering down the corridor dashed past the compartment after him.

The other boy scooped up the toad, smiled at them, and saying happily, "Cheers," left, sauntering the opposite way down the corridor.

At this most unusual interruption, the three girls stared at one another for a few minutes before bursting into furious giggles.

Not soon after, the train rounded a bend and Hogwarts came into view. It was a magnificent castle with turrets and towers and bright lights gleaming from each window to be reflected in the still lake at its edge.

OO

Instead of following the older students out to the front of the station, the first years were met by the largest man they had ever seen, calling, "Firs' years! Firs' years, this way!"

Very nervously, they followed him down a winding path to the rocky shore of what looked like a very long, very deep lake. Several dozen small boats were waiting for them. Careful not to get the hems of their black robes wet, the students climbed aboard.

The boats set off all on their own as soon as everyone was seated. Most of the students gazed up in wonder at the splendid castle or at their over-large escort. Several girls screamed as two enormous tentacles rose up out of the mirror-still lake next to their boat. They seemed to wave for a moment before disappearing again.

The huge man chuckled. "Nothing ta worry 'bout," he laughed. "Tha's jus' the giant squid sayin' hello."

By the exchanged looks, a giant squid was something to worry about.

It wasn't long until the boats sailed through a moss net concealing a cavern at the castle's bottom, and beached themselves on another rocky shore.

"Come on, you lot!" shouted the man, his voice echoing on the rocks.

OO

He led them up a curving spiral staircase and across an emerald green lawn to a set of oak doors even larger than himself. A severe-looking woman wearing a pointed hat opened the doors and stepped out to meet them. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, still not taking her eyes off them. "The train was running a bit late, so the Sorting will begin almost immediately. A few items first, however…"

As the teacher – Phae assumed it was Professor McGonagall – spoke to them about how things were done, Phae let her mind slip away. The stunning architecture and magnificent marble staircase of the Entrance Hall was much more fascinating.

Finally they began moving again: through the front doors, across the Entrance Hall, and through another set of oak doors.

Four tables stretched the length of the Great Hall – each nearly full of students. The teachers were seated at another table on a raised dais at the far end so they could watch the students. Thousands of candles floated overhead, and the arched ceiling mimicked the crystal-clear night outside.

Professor McGonagall led them right to the front of the dais, and Phae could feel the whole school's eyes on them. Leaving them, McGonagall stepped onto the dais and unrolled a scroll she had been holding. One by one, she began reading names.

OO

As their names were called, the new student cautiously approached; she would then place a battered old hat on their head, and the hat would announce their House to the school.

Phae watched intently as those before her were sorted. After nearly a minute of deliberation, Sirius Black – the boy with the toad from the train – became the first Gryffindor. Becca followed him to the table a minute later. Lily was the only Gryffindor in the center of a group of Slytherins. Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew also became Gryffindors in short order.

Waiting was the worst part of the Sorting. All manner of bad thoughts came unbidden into Phae's consciousness: What if her name wasn't on the list? What if the hat didn't know where she belonged? She shoved those thoughts out of her head as Professor McGonagall called, "Sands, Phaelon."

"Hmm," said the hat the moment it touched her head. "Bold and daring; a bit of a temper as well; bright, very bright…Gryffindor!"

With a sigh of relief, Phae slid from under the hat and went to join her new friends at the Gryffindor table.

"Good job, Phae!" said Lily as she sat.

Becca slapped her forcefully on the back. "Congratulations!"

To her surprise, the boy next to Becca held out his hand. She shook it. "Welcome," he said, "James Potter. This," he gestured to the other black-haired boy, "is Sirius Black.

Sirius nodded. "Sorry 'bout the toad…you know how those things go."

"The quiet one here," James continued, pointing to a pale, sandy-haired boy, "is Remus Lupin. And that scrawny one down there is Peter Pettigrew."

Phae nodded to each of them, but before the conversation could continue, the Headmaster stood. The room went deathly quiet as each student attentively watched the old man with the long silver hair and beard.

"Bibble. Quark. Snuffles. Jeehosephat," he stated.

The room broke into applause as he sat back down.

Phae shook her head, trying to suppress a smile. _This would be very interesting_.

OO

**Author's Note: Please don't give up hope on me yet…Chapter Two Coming Soon…**


	2. Passages and Pranks

_My apologies for taking so long. I was distracted by a Star Wars fic I was working on. As I'm finished with that one, I'll now devote all my time to this one once again…_

**See Chapter One for a disclaimer, I'm too lazy to re-write it.**

OO

"Hmm…" thought a dark-haired, bespectacled boy as he lay on his wide, four-poster bed. "I bet there are loads more tunnels and passages than just that one behind the mirror on the fourth floor," said James Potter to the room at large.

Peter looked worried as he always did as he sat on the headboard of his bed. "Flich will go spare if he sees us lurking around there again," he squeaked.

"Stop being so spineless," said Sirius, throwing a pillow at him from across the room.

The pillow caught Peter in the stomach and he toppled backwards into the stone wall – or, what was supposed to be a stone wall.

Having not heard a clunk, Sirius and James exchanged a worried glance.

Finally, Peter's voice echoed up. "Come look what I found! This is wicked!"

Very skeptically the two boys sauntered over to Peter's bed – his idea of wicked and theirs was often very different. Peering over and around, neither could see their friend.

"Come down here," said Peter.

Sirius raised an eyebrow but jumped down. James followed.

"_Lumos_," James muttered, and his wand tip ignited, illuminating the area in a pale light.

They were in a very narrow stone room. At the far end, near Peter, was a very short tunnel.

"Wonder where this leads?" asked James, crouching down and sticking his wand in a ways. It seemed to be very straight and long.

"Probably to McGonagall's office," muttered Peter.

Sirius crouched next to his friend. "There's only one way to find out," he said with a grin.

James gestured at the tunnel mouth. "After you."

"_Lumos minima_," muttered Sirius. His wand tip blazed and then dimmed so only a small patch in front of him was illuminated. With a final grin, he entered the tunnel and was soon swallowed by the blackness.

OO

James and Peter squatted next to the entrance, waiting for Sirius's return. It was cold – the tunnel was probably built between the interior and exterior stone of the castle.

A few minutes later, a small light appeared, growing brighter. Sirius dragged himself out of the tunnel and brushed off his robes, which were covered with cobwebs.

"Well?" asked James eagerly.

Sirius looked devious. "It's all stone, and tiny. If Peter gets any bigger he won't fit." – He grinned wickedly. – "And, mate, you won't believe where it leads to."

"Where?" asked Peter, sounding eager.

"Go have a look for yourself," said Sirius, gesturing to the tunnel.

OO

Three small balls of light appeared one by one in the dark room. By the dim light, the boys could tell it was nearly identical to the room they had just left. Three four-poster beds with red hangings lined the circular walls, and an old-fashioned wood heater sat in the middle.

"I don't get it," whined Peter, very confused.

"Are we where I think we are?" asked James, looking around curiously.

Sirius smirked. "Indeed, mate."

They exchanged a devious look. "The girls' dormitory!"

Peter uttered a terrified squeak. "They'll kill us if they catch us in here!"

The boys ignored him. "Where shall we begin?" Sirius asked wickedly.

OO

The Gryffindor boys were enjoying their lunch, still sniggering over their successes of the previous night, when the three girls stormed into the Great Hall. Much whispering, giggling, and pointing followed them as they made their way to the Gryffindor table.

"What happened to you three?" asked James, putting on his most innocent expression.

Whimpering, Peter disappeared under the table.

Phae arched an eyebrow. "What happened to us?" she repeated sarcastically, not bothering to keep her voice low. "We were about to ask you the same thing."

"Us?" asked Sirius, "How'd we know?"

"Because," countered Lily, "someone got into our dormitory last night."

"And lemme guess: You think it was us?" James whispered to Sirius loud enough to be heard.

"As a matter of fact," Becca retorted, her eyes flashing dangerously, "we do."

At that moment, Professor McGonagall swept up to the table. "I am disappointed in all of you. Please keep your shouting matches to out of doors. And girls, I would like to remind you that this is a school. If I catch you using silly hair charms again, you will all be in detention for a month."

A chorus of "Apologies, Professor. It won't happen again," followed her back to the teacher's table.

Blushing a deep shade of crimson, the girls flopped down at the far end of the table, continuing to shoot dark glances at the three boys.

OO

Sniggering madly, the boys headed up to the hospital wing where Remus had spent the night, having looked like he had gone several rounds with a manticore.

"…and then they come storming into the Great Hall," James was telling their friend.

"Each one's hair a different nauseatingly-bright color and trailing little multi-colored butterflies behind them," laughed Sirius.

"They started having a go at us," continued James, "but then McGonagall came over and threatened them with detention if she caught them using hair charms again."

They immediately dropped their voices as Madame Pomfrey stuck her head out her office door at the explosion of laughter.

Remus smiled wryly and shook his head. "They're going to hate you for life. You know that, don't you?"

James shrugged. "It was worth it. That potion we put in their shampoos won't come out for a month."

"And it will turn a different color every time they use it," added Sirius.

Even Peter sniggered. "I don't know. I really liked that hot pink on Phae."

"But Lily's neon green was priceless too," said Sirius, breaking into a fit of laughter again.

OO

Phae awoke to the sound of something ripping. It was black as pitch in the room, probably close to two in the morning. Groping for her wand, she found it and muttered "_Lumos_."

The room was bathed in the light of her wand. Nearly two dozen small, bluish, winged creatures were flitting madly around, wreaking havoc. The ripping she'd heard was one attempting to rip the hangings off her bed.

Across the room, Lily was watching the creatures with a mixture of shock and interest. They both watched as a group of them got a hold of Becca's pillow and began to beat her over the head with it. Poor Becca woke up and screamed bloody murder. Sniggering madly, they only beat her harder as she tried to reach for her wand.

Rolling her eyes, Lily grabbed her wand and pointed it at the nearest creature. "_Immobulus_."

It immediately went rigid and landed with a surprisingly hard thunk! on the floor.

OO

"Cornish Pixies?" asked Phae, when all the little creatures had been frozen. It had taken nearly an hour to stun them all; and now their room looked like a disaster zone, with pillows and clothes and books and papers strewn everywhere amid upturned furniture. "How did they get in here?"

Lily shrugged. "Maybe they got lose from one of the teachers?"

"And just happened to find their way into our dormitory?" Phae countered sarcastically.

"How are we supposed to get them out of here?" asked Becca, picking one off her pillow with disgust.

Phae shrugged. "Chuck them out the window?"

Lily scowled. "No. They're living things too. You can't just toss them out off a tower when they can't move." She thought for a moment and continued. "We'll take them down to Professor McGonagall. She'll know what to do with them."

OO

Wrapping the pixies in the torn hanging from Phae's bed, the three girls trooped out of their dormitory. It was still early, and the hallways were deserted as they made their way stealthily down to the second floor corridor and Professor McGonagall's office.

They knocked and were told immediately to enter. Professor McGonagall was seated behind her desk speaking with their Potions Master, Professor Slughorn.

"What are you three doing up so early?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"We caught these in our dormitory," explained Lily, opening the hanging to let Professor McGonagall see the already reviving pixies.

"My pixies!" said Professor Slughorn, sounding shocked. "Girls, I am very disappointed in you."

McGonagall fixed them with a beady stare. "Professor Slughorn was just reporting to me the disappearance of his entire store of live pixies."

The three exchanged a very worried glance. "But Professor," said Phae, "we didn't have anything to do with that."

"Yeah," added Becca, "we don't know how they got there, but they made a mess of our dormitory."

"I am sorry girls," said McGonagall, "but here you are with the evidence. If you cannot give me a better explanation than you suddenly found them in your dormitory, I shall have to give you all detention."

OO

Muttering under their breaths, the girls returned to their dormitory to clean up the damage, while looking forward to three beautiful Saturdays spent doing detention with McGonagall.

The four second-year boys were all seated around the crackling fire when they climbed through the fat lady's portrait hole. "What d'you got there, Phae?" asked Sirius, gesturing to the torn hanging she was carrying.

She sighed, trying to control herself. "The hangings for my bed."

"I though McGonagall would go berserk if she caught you taking those down," said James.

Phae raised an eyebrow. "We _didn't_ take them down.

"Two dozen Cornish Pixies did," continued Lily. "They also trashed the rest of our room."

"We've just been returning them to Professor McGonagall," said Phae.

Becca piped up. "And getting accused of stealing them by Professor Slughorn."

"We now have three Saturdays of detention to make up for it," finished Lily.

The boys winced. "Sorry about that," said James, looking significantly at Sirius. "Where'd they come from?"

Lily shrugged. "We don't know."

OO

"I swear they have something to do with these pranks," said Phae, sitting on her bed, repairing the torn hangings.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, but how do we prove it?"

"Hey guys," said Becca kneeling behind her bed trying to collect some spilled clothing, but she was ignored as Lily and Phae continued thinking.

"There's got to be a way," Lily muttered.

Phae chewed her lower lip. "But how'd they get in here. Those steps don't let boys up."

"Hey!" said Becca, finally getting their attention. "Come here, you've got to see this."

They peered behind her bed where Becca seemed to have disappeared halfway into the wall. "What now?" asked Phae. "A carnivorous wall?"

Becca pulled herself back out. "I think it's a passageway."

Lily snorted. "That wouldn't surprise me. It probably leads right to Filch's office."

"I don't think so," said Becca, peering back inside, "It looks like it goes pretty straight."

Phae dropped down to join her. "Lemme see." She pulled out her wand and muttered "_Lumos_," before crawling into the tunnel.

OO

She appeared a few seconds later, looking supremely pleased with herself, though rather dusty. "It doesn't go to Filch's office, but I'll give you three guesses where it does lead."

"Becca," said Lily, "go make sure those boys stay in the Common Room."

Becca pouted. "Why me?"

"Because," explained Phae, "They won't assume you're up to anything."

"Tell them you're looking for something you misplaced," advised Phae. "They'll believe that for sure."

Becca scowled, but headed for the door. "You owe me."

Phae smiled. "You can have that box of Every Flavor Beans under my bed."

"Not a fair trade, but it will do," Becca muttered as she disappeared down the spiral staircase.

OO

When she was gone, Phae and Lily considered one another deviously. "That's how they've gotten in, isn't it?" asked Lily.

Phae nodded. "Now I say we repay the favor."

"You're so mean," replied Lily with a calculating smirk. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

She thought for a moment. "I've still got half a bottle of that Manegro Potion I bought last year. Think it's still good?"

Lily shrugged. "If anything it might be more potent from sitting there."

"Let's get to it," said Phae, going to her trunk and grabbing an innocent looking bottle. "I'm sure we'll come up with something good."

She followed as Lily crawled through the small tunnel. Their wands cast an eerie glow off the stone walls and illuminated the spider webs clinging to the ceiling.

After a few minutes, they emerged behind a four-poster bed identical to the ones in their dormitory. Straightening up, they looked around. The room was identical to theirs in every respect save there were four beds and it was decidedly more messy. Exchanging cat-ate-the-canary grins, they set to work.

OO

"What did you do last night?" demanded Becca the next morning.

Lily and Phae exchanged significant looks. "You'll see soon enough," replied Phae crookedly.

The girls were just finishing their breakfast when the doors to the Great Hall opened and the four boys entered. Phae snorted into her cereal bowl in an attempt to stifle her laughter. All four boys had grown fluorescent orange manes that resembled a lion's, and each had a different pattern to it – stripes, checks, zig-zags, and squiggles – in a different disgusting color. The hair also descended slightly onto their faces and down their arms.

Ignoring the pointing and sniggering from the other students, they seated themselves at the Gryffindor table across from the three girls. "Happy?" asked James.

Lily put on her most innocent face. "What do you mean, Potter?"

"Though I must say the orange is quite lovely," complemented Phae.

James and Sirius glared daggers at her, while Remus and Peter looked like they wanted nothing more than to disappear.

McGonagall bustled over at that instant, looking horrified. "I don't understand you students!" She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. "First you girls – and now this! You better get yourselves over to Madame Pomfrey and get shaved."

Phae bit deeply into her cheek as the boys muttered, "Yes, ma'am," and headed for the exit.

OO

The tunnel was blocked up the next morning. No one knew who had told, but when they checked, it had been bricked up.

"Oh well," said Lily.

Phae nodded, though she looked slightly disappointed. "Yeah. Think they learned their lesson?"

"No," Lily replied quickly, "though I will like to see them walking around hairless for a while."

OO

_AN: Chapter Three Coming Soon – Your comments and feedback are always appreciated._


	3. Animorphmagus

**Disclaimer: See Chapter One, I'm not writing it again.**

OO

Silver moonlight seeped through the windows, illuminating the stone walls and floor of the dormitory. Three four-poster beds ringed the room, the steady breathing of their occupants the only sound. Dawn was still hours away, and everyone was still asleep. Everyone that is, except Phae.

She sat upright in bed, hugging her knees close. Her normally bright red hair hung limp and dingy around her face, and her mismatched eyes were bloodshot and half-closed. She felt slightly nauseous. Whether the insomnia was a product of her queasy feeling or the queasy feeling was a product of her insomnia, she didn't know. All she was sure of was that she was awake at some ungodly hour of the morning when all sane people were still sleeping.

OO

Phae staggered into the Great Hall the next morning just in time to grab a slice of buttered toast before their first class.

"What's wrong, Phae?" asked Becca as they climbed the marble staircase.

She shrugged – she hadn't told her friends that she'd been awake for several long hours the last four nights.

"Come on," goaded Lily, "You're not yourself."

"I'm feeling better," she lied. "It was probably just a bug."

Judging by the looks they gave her, they weren't buying her story for a minute, but they didn't mention it again.

Not even when she slept through History of Magic did they ask, despite her being one of the few in the class able to withstand Binns' soporific voice.

"I can't believe I did that," Phae berated herself as they left the classroom. "I probably missed pages of important notes."

Becca feigned seriousness. "Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head vigorously, "absolute loads of interesting stuff."

Phae glared at her friend. "I bet it's on the exam too," she sulked.

"No worries, Phae," said Lily, "I'm sure someone was actually paying attention…_and not playing hangman on their parchment_," she glared at the four boys walking slightly in front of them.

James spun around and continued walking backwards, having heard her comment. "Hey, Evans. Lupin takes the notes for us. Why should all of us rot our brains?"

At that moment, Sirius grabbed his friend and pulled him away from the suit of armor he was about to crash into.

Thoroughly embarrassed, James and his friends took a detour down a deserted corridor, while the girls, giggling furiously, continued towards the Transfiguration classroom.

OO

For Phae, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was usually one of the most interesting classes. McGonagall had a reputation for being hard, even on students from her own house, but it was also a subject that could have disastrous results if you weren't paying attention.

Lily's elbow in her ribs snapped her back into reality.

"Are you feeling okay, Phae?" asked Remus, turned around in his seat trying to pass her a box of mice.

"Of course," she lied quickly, "I just drifted off for a minute. Why?"

"You are looking green," agreed Lily. "Maybe you should go back to sleep?"

She took a mouse from the box and handed it to Lily. She really wished people would stop asking if she felt all right. "I'm fine," she assured them and returned her gaze to Professor McGonagall.

After a lecture on transforming a mouse into a matchbook, Professor McGonagall had them practice. It was quite an easy transfiguration for third year students, and most had done it on the first try.

"Ms. Sands," said McGonagall, staring over her shoulder, "Let's see what you can do."

Try as she did, the mouse refused to be transfigured, and the more she tried the worse she felt. After the third try, Phae laid her head on the desk, her head felt like it was splitting open.

"Are you quite all right?" asked McGonagall.

Phae nodded; she really didn't want to tell McGonagall it hurt to use magic at the moment. "I'll be fine," she lied.

OO

After Transfiguration the Griffindors headed for lunch and their last class of the day – Potions. Potions was a difficult class under the best of conditions as Professor Slughorn had a tendency to choose his favorites and ignore the rest of the students. He also had a penchant for not giving directions and allowing the students to experiment with their potions.

Around the dungeon, most of the cauldrons were simmering softly and the students were talking when it happened. With a soft scream, Phae noticed her potion was slowly eroding her cauldron. As she watched in horror, small holes began appearing in the sides of the cauldron. Drops of potion began spilling onto the thick wooden prep table, making it smoke. Soon the drips began eating into the table as well.

By this time, most of the class was watching with fascination as Phae tried to fix what had happened. When she had vanished the whole mess, three-quarters of the cauldron had been eaten through and a decent chunk of the table was missing.

Professor Slughorn came sweeping over to see what the fuss was about. "Ms. Sands, what happened here?"

"I have no idea," she stated, looking confused. "It just started melting the cauldron."

Slughorn shook his head. "That's why you must always be careful when brewing your potions. I am sure you've learned you lesson, but that's still a zero for the class today." Without hesitating, he spun on his heel and headed back to the front of the class.

Chewing on her lower lip, Phae tossed her ruined cauldron into the large stack in the corner and packed up her things. Without asking permission and feeling like she'd be sick at any moment, she quickly left the dungeon and headed up the stairs.

Halfway up the marble staircase, her head reeled and she had to grab the railing to keep from falling. Thankfully the halls were nearly empty as everyone was still in class. The last thing she wanted was another person suggesting she needed the hospital wing.

OO

Phae collapsed into her bed as soon as she made it into their dormitory. All she wanted to do was sleep, but it felt like something large and wiggly was trying to get out of her stomach. Becca came in to see if she was going to dinner, but she pretended she was asleep.

The moonlight was flooding the room and the silence was perfect when Phae awoke. For the first time in almost a week she didn't feel sick as she stumbled across the room for a glass of water. She paused to stare of the window at the cold, dark grounds and froze when she caught sight of her reflection.

Running a hand through her hair, her suspicions were confirmed. Instead of normal, human-like ears, she now had two pointy cat-like ones. With a scream, she stumbled backwards and tripped over her trunk. Landing on her bed, a sharp pain raced up her back as she landed on something and it bent painfully. Running a hand down the back of her leg, she grabbed what felt suspiciously like a tail trailing nearly to her ankle.

Lily and Becca had woke with her scream and were lighting the candles next to their beds. "What the – ?" asked Becca sleepily.

"Phae, what's wrong?" asked Lily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"I have a tail!" Phae replied, trying to sound calm as she peered up the cuff of her pajama leg and caught sight of something long and furry.

Lily sighed. "Are you sure it's not just another prank?"

She ran a hand over the cat ears. "Do these look like a prank?"

Becca had gotten out of bed and walked over, looking at her suspiciously. Tentatively touched one of the fun-covered ears. "Those look real to me. Um, maybe you better go down to the hospital wing."

OO

"What's all the noise about?" demanded Madame Pomfrey coming out of her office wearing a floral-printed dressing gown. "This is a hospital!" – Phae had ran nearly all the way to the hospital wing, and was now doubled over, breathing heavily. – "Oh, it's you," said the nurse, sounding annoyed. "Well, what's the problem."

Phae raised her head, but before she could say anything, Madame Pomfrey gasped. "What happened to you?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. I just woke up like this."

Suddenly businesslike, Madame Pomfrey grabbed her by the wrist and was dragging her back down the hallway. "Professor McGonagall must be told about this. These pranks are getting out of hand."

Professor McGonagall answered her office door wearing a tartan dressing gown and adjusting her spectacles on her nose. "What on earth, Poppy?" she asked as Madame Pomfrey dragged Phae inside.

"These pranks need to be stopped," demanded the nurse, gesturing towards Phae's ears.

"Ms. Sands, what's happened?" asked McGonagall.

Phae shrugged, still trying to catch her breath. "I don't know. I woke up to get a drink of water, and they were just…there."

McGonagall eyed her shrewdly. "You weren't at dinner last night. What were you doing?"

"I was sleeping. I haven't been feeling well, so I went to sleep right after potions," she explained. "You can ask Becca and Lily if you want."

"What did you eat today?" asked Madame Pomfrey.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I've been sick and not really hungry."

The nurse shook her head. "Kindly wait in the hall. I need to have a talk with Professor McGonagall."

With a sigh, Phae left, closing the door behind her and seating herself on the cold stone floor.

OO

Madame Pomfrey emerged a few minutes later and dragged Phae back up to the hospital wing. "You'll be happy to know, we've talked to Professor Slughorn, and he does not believe it's a potion someone slipped to you."

"Oh good," she replied sarcastically. _She had a bloody tail! Was no one going to do anything about it!_

"But Professor McGonagall will still be questioning those boys if they had anything to do with it," the nurse continued.

Her jaw dropped. "But I haven't even spoken to them for longer than five minutes today!" The nurse ignored her protests, dragging her into the hospital wing and forcing her into one of the beds.

It was no better the next day. Phae had spent the rest of the night watching the shadows dance across the high ceiling of the hospital wing and praying that it was all a bad dream and wake up in the morning in her bed with no tail or furry ears.

When Madame Pomfrey brought her a couple slices of toast and a glass of pumpkin juice on a tray, she sat up and tentatively ran a hand through her hair. The ears were still there, and she shuddered when she felt them.

"Professor Dumbledore believes it most prudent to keep you here until we learn what it is you've got," the nurse explained professionally. "In case it might be something contagious. Goodness knows we can't have students running around like half-animals, can we?"

Phae scowled and picked at the toast without a word. Becca and Lily tried visiting her soon after, but the nurse shooed them off with some warning about contagious diseases.

OO

It went on the same way for several days with Phae remaining in the hospital wing and her only contact being with the nurse. Professor McGonagall arrived soon after lunch on what was her fourth day in the hospital, looking positively hawk-like. She conferred with Madame Pomfrey for some time before turning her attentions to Phae.

Phae tried not to cringe with the Professor fixed her with her beady eyes. "After much deliberation, Ms. Sands, you'll be pleased to know that we understand this sudden transformation," she said briskly. "It is the belief of Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, and myself that you are an animorphmagus."

"A what?" asked Phae, having never heard of such a thing.

"An animorphmagus," explained Madame Pomfrey as though she was reciting something out of a dictionary, "is a wizard who is able to transform into any animal at will."

She was still confused. "I thought those were animagi."

"An animagus," said Professor McGonagall patiently, "needs a wand and a spell to be able to transform. All an animorphmagus needs is to think about becoming an animal."

"Of course," interrupted Madame Pomfrey, "animorphmagi are incredibly rare – I don't recall any cases in the last fifty years at least – and there are a number of tests to determine if that is in fact what you are."

McGonagall nodded in agreement. "We're sending you to St. Mungo's for those tests, and when they're done, you'll be returned to us."

Phae grimaced. "You're making me sound as though I'm one of those little mice with experiment on."

The Professor offered her a rare smile. "They're not really all that bad, and you'll be back here in no time."

OO

Madame Pomfrey had been wrong. There had not been an animorphmagus in nearly a hundred years, and none of the Healers at St. Mungo's were familiar with the condition. Phae was subjected to any number of tests, some of which possibly bordered on torture.

After nearly a week and some practicing her shapeshifting abilities, they dubbed her an animorphmagus and made her fill out all sorts of Ministry of Magic paperwork before finally sending her back to Hogwarts.

Becca and Lily squealed when she appeared in the Great Hall halfway through lunch.

"You're back!"

"They wouldn't tell us anything!"

"St. Mungos! What was wrong?"

"Thank goodness you're okay."

After some pressing, Phae lowered her voice and told them about being an animorphmagus. "But you mustn't tell anyone," she implored them just as the four Gryffindor boys sauntered into the hall and to their table.

"So," said Sirius, taking a seat next to her, "the great rumor mill is saying you got hold of some Polyjuice Potion and had a bad reaction."

She glared at him. "If that's the best way of getting the story out of me, you've got no chance – And I'm not really inclined to share with you anyway."

Sirius exchanged a shocked look with his friends. "Well," he continued, "there's another choice one about you being a squib."

Becca looked like she was ready to curse him, but Phae grabbed her wrist. "Oh, the horror of what that would do to your fragile little egos. All you need to know is that I'm fine now." Without another word, she got up and walked out of the Hall, Lily and Becca right behind her.

The four boys watched, perplexed, until James leaned back and ran a hand through his black hair. "I don't get it. They're more temperamental than our Lupin on one of his bad days."

Remus cringed and shot James a cautious glance.

OO

_**AN: Be kind. This isn't my favorite, but I had to introduce her "ability" somehow…**_


	4. Revelations

_AN: My many thanks to Ally for writing this one. Hopefully my writer's block is now gone. I changed some spelling and words, but otherwise this one belongs to her._

**Disclaimer: How many times do I write it… See One…**

OO

Phae awoke to a sudden noise coming from the Gryffindor common room. She growled angrily to herself, being slightly annoyed at the sudden intrusion of the noise into her deep slumber. As she shrugged off the feeling of sleep, she was immediately intrigued, remaining silent and still in her bed. She strained against the silence of the night to hear the noise again. As if on cue, it sounded once more, this time slightly louder. Phae stole a glance in the direction of her roommates, and finding them both sound asleep, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. Her feet hit the icy cold floor and her whole body convulsed. Then, grabbing her robe from the bed post and tying it securely around her waist, she continued to hold her breath in an attempt to stay quiet as she stealthily began to creep down the stairs to the common room.

OO

It took her a few minutes to make it to the bottom of the stairs because of a few creaky floorboards that she carefully avoided. Pleased with her own stealth, she allowed herself a moment to silently smile at her own cleverness after she quickly concealed herself behind the couch. She listened to the whispering voices for a moment before she recognized the low growling voice of Sirius.

"What exactly are you suggesting, Pettigrew? We cannot tell them how we know it all! Do you know the consequences for what we have done?"

"I only think that we should tell a professor!" Peter squeaked.

"Oh, I see…You'd rather be weak and tell… like a little _rat_?"

Peter hissed exasperatedly before both Sirius and Peter fell silent. Phae almost instantly concluded that James had halted their battle.

"Listen…we cannot tell…and we cannot allow him to be out there on his own when he is dangerous…So we have no other choice but to go out there, as our alternate egos, and retrieve him…. and forget telling anyone, Pettigrew… no one can know…the consequences for telling are far worse than those of having to have a go with Remus…"

"Easy for you two to say, you're not a foot tall…" Peter sneered.

Sirius's bark-like laugh resonated off the brick walls of the common room, braking the silence that succeeded the soft sound of James's whisper.

"Let's go then…We don't have any time to waste…"

"Perhaps I should wait here and keep an eye out for anyone who may be following us…" suggested Peter, as Phae ducked further down behind the arm of the chair but peered around it's corner.

Sirius and James shared a look of exasperation before they agreed to allow Peter to stay. Peter's face lit up with a look of complete joy, as if he had just single handedly won the House Cup.

Phae continued to watch from her hiding place as both Sirius and James left. She was about to attempt to find a way around Peter, when he pulled out his wand and muttered a charm. There was a bright flash of light and a moment later a large, beady-eyed rat sat where Peter had been a moment earlier.

OO

Phae rubbed her eyes with her hands, doubting what she thought she had seen. But sure enough, as her eyes focused once again, Peter was no where to be seen and a large rat sat in the middle of the room.

As realization struck, she laughed to herself. _This suddenly seemed too easy! _Phae allowed herself to think of her body shifting into that of a cat's and before she knew it her hands were paws and her sight was heightened, so that it seemed as if she was no longer surrounded by the darkness of the night. Noticing that she was no longer cold she looked over herself and found her skin to be covered by a thick coat of orange colored fur. _Bloody hell…It had worked!_

Feeling more bold and daring than she ever had before, Phae prowled around the corner, stalking the measly rodent that sat on the rug by the fireplace. She was able to get nearly a foot away from the ignorant vermin before he sensed her approach. He squealed and turned tail, running for his life up towards the boys dormitory. She followed for a short distance until he was out of sight. She glared daggers up the stairwell before taking off at a trot to find the other two boys. For some reason though, she did not expect that it would be _boys_that she would find.

OO

As she trotted down the hallway, Phae noticed that she was beginning to like the freedom she had as an animorphmagus, but as it would seem, others did not like her freedom nearly as much.

A moment later, she turned a corner and ran straight into Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's old, temperamental tabby cat. The cat bristled at the sudden appearance of a strange feline within the castle and began to hiss and claw at Phae. Realizing that fighting with this mongrel would be a waste of her time, she desperately attempted to spot a quick way out.

Behind her a voice called, "Mrs. Norris? What's the trouble over here?"

_Filch! The twit would know if she was a student's pet or not!_ Phae's frantic eyes caught sight of a window, and she bolted towards it, making one passing swat at the fuming tabby, and amusingly enough, left a large scratch on Mrs. Norris's nose while doing so. As she came within six feet of the window, Phae leapt onto the ledge and without hesitation, jumped out into the night.

Finding that she was still on the second story, she closed her eyes, as the ground came rushing up to meet her. Just as she was thinking that she had made the most idiotic decision of her life, all four of her paws hit the soft ground without a sound. After the fear dissipated within her stomach, she remained where she was for a moment, attempting to not become ecstatically happy that all of her limbs were still in one piece.

Just then, Phae caught sight of two dark shadows at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Without giving it a second thought, she trotted off towards where the two figures had disappeared into the ominous shadows of the looming trees.

OO

His nose pressed to the ground in determination, a large black dog scoured the woods for the slightest scent of wolf. Beside him, a large adolescent buck looked on, occasionally stamping a hoof with impatience. The dog stopped his sniffing to look at the deer then glanced deep into the woods. His gaze darted back towards the towering castle in the opposite direction before letting out a deep growl and continuing his search. The buck's gaze followed that of the dog's back towards the castle, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to the reflection of moonlight in a pair of golden-green eyes.

The deer's sudden snort caused the black dog to jump before he turned his pair of dark brown scowling eyes to the large animal beside him. Finding that his friend was alerting him to something, the dog looked back towards the castle, only to lock eyes with a green-eyed cat. The dog glanced back at the deer before he slipped soundlessly into the surrounding darkness. The buck then began to make his way commandingly towards the officious feline.

OO

Phae watched from a distance as an large black dog and an enormous juvenile buck seemed to look together for something within the outskirts of the woods. _Sirius Black and James Potter…but what could they be searching for?_

For one reason or another, both the deer and the canine eventually noticed Phae's presence and locked eyes with her. Both of the creatures seemed quite annoyed by her unblinking eyes observing them. _Well, it was their fault! They awoke her, after all! _

She looked away for a moment only to suddenly find that the deer was walking towards her commandingly. She didn't have to be a buck to catch the hidden message within his steps: _Get out of here, or you will regret it_.

For a second, she contemplated complying, but then thought better of it._ If James Potter thought he could get rid of her by mere intimidation, he was sorely mistaken._ Instead, Phae stood and continued to star down the oncoming stag. _Two could play that game!_

Just as the deer was a yard away from her, the sound of a stick breaking on her right sent her flying around with a hiss only to meet the black dog's snarling teeth. Phae sprang into the air and landed on the canine's back, allowing her claws to sink into his soft flesh, before leaping off of him and running off towards the woods. She threw a glance over her shoulder as she sprinted towards the trees.

Finding that both of the animals were following her, but lagging behind, she allowed her pace to slow slightly, ensuring that they would still be on her tail by the time she found something to hide behind. A moment later, the dog and buck broke through the line of trees, slowing their pace to look around for her. As she thought of another creature, and felt her body follow her mind's direction she snickered to herself. _She would love nothing more than to see Sirius attempt to chase her up a tree now!_

OO

The large dog and his deer friend stopped dead at the edge of the forest. The cat they had been chasing seemed to have vanished completely. Sirius growled deeply before he set his nose to the ground one more. James stamped a hoof and grunted angrily. _Who did this cat think she was?_ Quite quickly, Sirius picked up the scent and let out a sharp bark to alert James. Both of them began to walk straight towards where Phae had concealed herself. As Sirius realized that the cat had hidden herself behind a bush, he leapt into the air, planning to land upon the cat and pin it to the ground.

Sirius' howl of triumph quickly turned to a whine of terror as he soared towards a vicious and enraged female tiger. The tiger lazily swung a paw at Sirius, and he quickly tumbled to the side. Turning to run in the opposite direction, he found himself cornered against a grouping of large boulders. The tiger approached him slowly, her eyes intently focused on his shivering form. Sirius tucked his tale between his legs and whimpered pitifully. A moment later, the buck came walking through the bushes, only to see Sirius's predicament. At the sight of his friend, Sirius allowed his tail to wag ever so slightly.

That was all the warning the tiger had needed. In a flash she had turned in a fill circle, knocking the deer over her shoulder and back against the wall next to his friend, before ending up facing them as she had been only a second before. The dog and the deer shared a petrified look before they both morphed back into their human forms. Now two shivering boys clung to each other as they avoided the tiger's piercing, hungry gaze. The tiger allowed the malice in her eyes to lessen as she smiled to herself. _Now this was the perfect revenge for her pink hair!_

OO

Phae took her gaze off the two boys for a minute to listen to the woods around her. For a second she could have sworn that she had heard the rustle of leaves off in the distance. She stood still a moment, listening as only a predator could. After waiting and not hearing the sound again, she dismissed it as nothing and looked back at Sirius and James.

The two boys had drawn their wands and were pointing them at her, waiting for her to attack them. Slightly frustrated at being unable to use her own wand, Phae began to pace back and forth, glaring at the wands and the two boys who held them. After a few moments of pacing, but not advancing on them, the boys began to relax.

Sirius lowered his wand slightly. "James, I don't think she plans on attacking us…"

"Than who is she and why is she following us?"

"There's only one way to find out…" With that, Sirius directed a charm straight at Phae.

OO

Phae let out a enraged roar, but when the charm hit her square in the chest, nothing happened.

The boys gasped in unison. "She's not like us…she's not an animagus…" James said in an impressed voice.

Without warning, a large wolf came thrashing through the trees to the right of Sirius, breaking the boy's awed sense of wonder. The wolf looked hungrily at the two boys, completely missing the intense gaze of the tiger who stood silent a few yards away.

The massive gray wolf stalked towards the boys, eyeing them viciously as he ran his tongue over his muzzle.

"Remus! Please, snap out of it! You're our Remus…YOU are NOT this monster…Do not let it possess you! Remus!" Sirius's desperate voice shook Phae to the core. Sirius was never one to show any sign of weakness, but he seemed genuinely frightened.

"SIRIUS, HEX HIM!" James shouted.

"I…I cant…this is Lupin!"

"DO IT MAN, OR WE'LL BE JUST LIKE HIM!"

Phae was stunned as what they had been saying dawned on her. _Remus Lupin was a werewolf?_ Abruptly understanding the boys' inner struggle, Phae leapt at the wolf, knocking him out of the way before he had the chance to attack Sirius.

Now the werewolf had noticed her. His gold eyes glowered into her green ones and she knew that even if this was Remus Lupin, he was lost deep within this monster who could not be easily persuaded to let his human mind to the forefront.

The wolf lunged at her, teeth bared and claws extended. He grabbed hold of the scruff of her neck and threw her to the ground. Finding her strength, she stood and flung the wolf from her with one swing of her massive paw.

In a mere second, the wolf was back on his feet and locked onto her neck once again. Phae felt a sharp stab pain as a sticky hot liquid began to flow down her neck. Soon, she began to notice large amounts of blood covering the once orange and black fur on her back as well. She continued to throw Lupin from her, but each time he came back quickly, ready for more.

As she began to feel the effects of massive blood loss, Phae realized that her life was on the line. _She had to fight back with full force and not care about injuring Remus if she wanted to make it through this!_ Noticing the increasing amount of blood that was now covering the majority of her body, Phae began to think strategically as she threw Remus off of her once more. She soon decided that her strength could not match the fierce werewolf's power and speed.

He made a lunge for her throat, and she raised herself up on her hind legs to rake her claws across the chest, knocking him to the ground once more before she thought of her body shifting into that of another creature.

OO

A sharp gasp immediately escaped from the silent James and Sirius who had been watching the two beasts battle violently. Blood still gushed from her wounds, but the size of her injuries lessened as her body shrunk slightly, transforming into a somewhat smaller creature.

She watched with disgust as the werewolf stood only to come face to face with an enormous black wolf. The werewolf stared at her, confused beyond all belief, but then quickly looked around, searching for a tiger that he would never find.

Remus then looked back at Phae, and she thought she saw a glimpse of a different emotion cross the beast's eyes. But as soon as she thought that, it was gone, leaving the cold glaring stare of an experienced hunter in its place. The werewolf growled at Phae, but she simply bared her teeth in his direction.

Then, a stroke of brilliance hit her. She raised her massive, dark head and let out a long, drawn out howl into the night sky. The werewolf suddenly looked around, as if in a panic. Knowing that he could handle a single wolf, but not a pack, the werewolf bounded off, his tail between his legs.

OO

Phae immediately collapsed to the ground both out of pain and fatigue. The two boys slowly came over towards her and after a moments hesitation, they kneeled down beside her. Sirius extended his hand to her snout and she turned it away, attempting to say that she would not bite him. He seemed to understand her meaning, and instead, raised his hand to stroke her coat gently.

"Whoever you are, thank you. We were not thinking when we came out here in search of him. We didn't think that he would be so consumed by his other half! He's our friend, but when he's like this…it's just…different." James attempted to explain.

_Way to make an understatement,_ Phae though to herself as she whimpered softly.

It took her a few moments, but after a short struggle, Phae was able to stand. Praying that she had enough strength left for one more change, she imagined herself as a cat and, fortunately, she soon recognized the orange colored paws underneath her.

With one last look at James and Sirius, she raced off towards into the woods, eager to circle around and end up back in the dormitories before the boys made it back.

OO

The next morning found Phae out cold in her bed.

Lily shook her slightly, and after ignoring the curses coming from her friend, she pulled the covers back.

Her eyes snapped open as Lily chided her. "If you do not hurry, we will have to leave without you for breakfast!"

Phae groaned deeply, but somehow managed to get herself up and out of bed. As she walked to the bathroom, she found herself sore and limping. _Great! Wonder what people will think of this_,she thought as she shuffled into the bathroom.

Once inside she pulled out a hairbrush and began attempting to get the snarls out of her hair, only to find that the majority of her hair was matted with dried blood. _Perfect!_

She quickly told her friends to go on without her as she hopped into the shower and washed as much of the blood out as she could. After she had finished, she dried herself and dressed in her robes to go down to breakfast. As she was leaving the bathroom, she noticed a deep gouge in the back of her neck. Cringing as she quickly inspected it with her fingers, she decided that her hair would conceal it well enough, and so, with one last glance into the mirror, she began to hobble down to the Great Hall.

OO

Apparently she hadn't taken up as much time as she had thought and found all of the students still enjoying their hot breakfasts. Lily and Becca motioned to her and she quickly joined them. Becca handed Phae a plate, and she began to fill it up with food from the middle of the table, although she had to admit that she was not nearly as hungry as she should have been after a night like the previous one.

She reached for the pumpkin juice only to grab it at the same time as someone else. Phae lifted her tired eyes to see who it had been only to be frozen by Remus' eyes meeting hers. Her eyes widened with fear and anger, but she quickly looked away. Voices echoed within her mind as her alter egos attempted to tell her to get away from him, but she frantically tried to get them to be quiet.

After a very pronounced moment, all was silent within her head and she removed her hand from the pitcher only to find Sirius, James and Remus all staring at her. Caught in an awkward situation, Phae ran a hand over her neck only to pull it back hastily when she encountered the injury there. In the process, her hair was pulled over her shoulder, revealing the vivid purple wound for only a second before she hurriedly moved her hair back. She raised her eyes to meet the boys and found that only Sirius' had a distressed look in them. _He had been the only one to see!_

Breakfast was over shortly after and everyone got up to go to their classes. Phae hurried away from the table with Lily and Becca, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned around to see Sirius standing behind her.

Desperately, Phae looked to her friends for help, but they simply said that they would catch up with her later, and walked of whispering and giggling together.

Sirius's sharp voice cut into her frantic thoughts. "What happened to you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Black," she said, attempting to walk away from him, but was pulled back by his hand on her wrist.

"I think you do! That injury on your neck and the way you seem to be walking today…as if you were sore…" He said incredulously as he gently moved her hair to look at the teeth marks.

"Listen, Sirius, I'd rather not talk about it," she hissed as she slapped his hand away.

"I bet you wouldn't…" He said as he looked her in the eyes. "But if you _did_want to talk about it…I would say that you saved James and I last night from a terrible fate that neither of us would like to think about. We both owe you so much and not only that, but you did not harm Remus either and instead, took the beating for him. So as long as his secret is safe with you, you have my silence as well…and my gratitude!"

She smiled at him as he let go of her hand. "I'm afraid that you aren't making any sense, Black, and I do not have the time to attempt to decipher what you are trying to say… I am late to class." She began to walk away, but the sound of her name stopped her.

"Sirius! I am telling you! Whatever you want to say, forget it! …And even if I did help you in some way, you would owe me nothing! I would never admit to having you and James indebted to me! Although, just so you know, if you guys pull any more pranks on me and my friends, one morning you will wake up with fleas! … "

Phae quickly jogged off to class, leaving a very exasperated Sirius in her wake.


End file.
